Window photo frame envelope and support



y 1958 R. w. CLARKE 2,834,135

wmnow PHMO FRAME ENVELOPE AND SUPPORT RALPH W. CLARKE BY ATTORNEY May13, 1958 R. w. CLARKE wnmow PHOTO FRAME ENVELOPE AND SUPPORT 2Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG.

Filed April 10, 1957 FIG. 2

E 1 1m 1, 2 1 H wh m/NH? 1 ML 1 m H I I [Eur v, I] ill b m INVENTORRALPH W. CLARKE ATTORNEY United States Patent WINDOW PHOTO FRAMEENVELOPE AND SUPPORT Ralph W. Clarke, Salem, Va., assignor to DoubleEnvelope Corporation, Roanoke, Va., a corporation of VirginiaApplication April 10, 1957, Serial No. 651,865

8 Claims. (Cl. 40-1521) This invention relates to an envelope to containa picture such as a photograph or a card, and more particularly to awindowed envelope such that the photograph or card may be viewed whileprotected by the envelope and such that the envelope may be supported ina position to facilitate such viewing.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a device of thiskind that is attractive, simple, and inexpensive especially on the basisof ease of manufacture and economy of material.

Other and further objects and advantages of the device will becomeapparent from the following specification taken with the accompanyingdrawing in which like characters of reference denote the like elementsin the several views and in which:

Fig. l is a plan of the blank from which the device is formed from therear of the blank.

Fig. 2 is a rear view of the blank of Fig. 1 folded to form thecompleted device.

Fig. 3 is a front view of the completed device.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the device in use as to display the cardor picture.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view similar to Fig. 4 but from the rear of thedevice in use.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary section taken on line 6-6 of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawing, it will be seen that the blank shown in Fig. 1comprises a central wall or panel 10 which is cut away at 11 to providea display aperture or window through which the contents will be viewed.This aperture is preferably covered by a sheet of transparent material12 adhesively secured by its edges to the back of panel 10. Where suchsheet of transparent material is used, it is preferably secured in placeas a step in forming the blank of Fig.- 1.

-A back -'wall or panel portion 13 is provided, separated from panel 10by a fold line 14. Panel 13is slightly more than half the width of panel10, for a reason that will be explained below.

A second back wall or panel portion made up of two parts 15 and 16 isprovided separated from front panel 16 by a fold line 17 between panel10 and part 15 of the second back panel. Parts 15 (which is half as wideas panel 10) and 16 are separated by a fold line 18 for later use whenpanel part 16, as seen in-Figs. 4 and 5, will be folded outwardly toform a support for the device in use.

Bottom flap 19, separated from front panel 10 by a fold line 20 andhaving a notch 21 at the center of its free edge, completes the device,except for the adhesive areas used to secure the device in assembledform.

There are two adhesive areas (other than used to secure element 12 ifused) placed on the blank as seen in Fig. 1. One of these areas 22extends the length of the panel part 15 adjacent fold line 18 and is ofa width to match the amount by which panel 13 exceeds half the width ofpanel 10 so that in assembling the device when panel 13 is folded intothe position shown in Fig. 2 and panel 15, 16 is folded into overlyingposition, panel part "Ice 15 may be adhesively secured to panel part 13along its edge leaving panel part 16 free.

The second adhesive area on the blank is seen at 23 on bottom flap 19 onthat portion only which, when folded into the position shown in Fig. 2overlies panel part 15 so that when in place it adheres only to panelpart 15 leaving panel part 16 free. It will be understood, then, that asseen in Fig. 2 the lower end of panel part 16 lies between panel 13 andbottom flap 19 but is not secured thereto.

The lower edge of panel part 16 is cut away in a large notch 28 one sideof which forms a continuation'of fold line 18, and the other side beingcurved downwardly to the edge to leave a considerable length of bottomedge of panel part 16 which latter part may be cut at an upward angle sothat when folded outwardly as seen in Figs. 4 and 5, the device willlean backward slightly. It will be noted that the depth of notch 28along'the extension of line 18 is the same as the distance from thebottom of notch 21 in bottom flap 19 to fold line 20. i

It will be understood, then, that until the device is to be set up as adisplay as seen in Figs. 4 and 5, the panel part 16 is held in placeagainst panel 13 by the overlying part of bottom flap 19, but when it isdesired to set the device up as a display it is only necessary towithdraw the panel part 16, that forms a leg, from under the flap 19,fold it along fold line 18 so that it extends outwardly through notch 21by which it is held from folding back fiat against panel 13 so thedevice will stand erect on the bottom of panel 10 and the bottom edge ofpanel part 16, or on fold line 14 of pauel10 and the required to make anenvelope without the support feature provided by panel part 16. Afurther saving of material could be made by reducing the length of panelpart 16 so that in blanking, the panel part 16 of one blank wouldcomplement the panel part 16 of an adjacent blank (rotated from theposition of Fig. 1). Such additional saving of material, however, wouldbe at the expense of stability of the device when in use in displayposition resting on fold line 14 and the free edge of panel part 16.

It is desired that the envelope portion of the device,

that is, the space between panels 10 and 13 and 15, be as closely aspossible the same size as a standard size photographic print, so thatsuch a print cannot become cocked at an angle to the envelope to presentan unsightly appearance. Making the device of such a size makes itdifficult to insert a picture in, or to remove a picture from theenvelope. To facilitate such insertion and removal, without increasingthe size of the envelope, a pair of short slits 24 and 25 are cut alongfold lines 14 and 17 respectively, at the top edge of the blank. It willbe understood from Fig. 6 that a photograph 26 inserted in the envelopecan be grasped by pulling the top edges of panels 10'and 13 and 16apart. Conversely the photograph 26 may be inserted readily into theenvelope by opening the space between the top edges of the front andback panels and placing the bottom edge of the picture therebetween. Bylowering one bottom corner of the photograph below the bottom end of,say slot 24, and pulling the photograph against fold line 14, the otherbottom corner of the photograph will readily slide between the panelsadjacent fold line 17.

It will, of course, be clear to'those skilled in the art that variationsand modifications of the device may be made without departing from thescope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A display envelope comprising a windowed front panel, an imperforateback panel'formed of two flaps the one overlying and secured to theother centrally of said back panel by an adhesive seam, a bottom flapoverlying said two back panel flaps and secured to only one of;

said flaps, a support formed as an extension of one of said flapsextending along the edge of said beyond said seam and normally heldagainst said other flap by the bottom flap and adapted to be withdrawnfrom under said bottom flap and folded outwardly along said seam to forma support for said envelope.

2. The display envelope of claim 1 in which said support is formed witha cut away portion along said seam below said bottom flap, the extent ofsaid cut away portion along said seam being of such extent that thesupport may be withdrawn from under said bottom flap without tearingsaid support or bottom flap.

3. The display device of claim 2 in which said bottom flap is providedwith a notch where it overlies said seam and said cut away portion is ofsuch extent that the edge of said cut away portion at said seamcoincides with the bottom of said notch.

4. A display envelope for photographs or the like comprising a windowedfront panel, an imperforate back panel formed of bent back side flapsalong fold lines at the edges of said front panel overlapping andadhered together along a central seam, a support element formed as anextension of the overlapping flap of the back panel, a bottom closingflap adopted to cover the lower ends of said lapping side flaps and saidsupport element, said bottom closing flap being secured only to saidoverlapping side flap, said side flaps being severed from said windowedfront panel for a short distance along the said fold lines at the end ofsaid front panel remote from said bottom closing flap whereby insertionand removal of photographs or the like is facilitated.

5. The device of claim 4 in which said Windowed front panel is providedwith a sheet of transparent material secured to said panel to protectthe contents of said envelope while permitting full view thereof.

6. A blank for forming a display envelope comprising a rectangular panelformed with a viewing aperture, a first flap formed as an extension onone side of said panel of the same length as said panel and of somewhatover half the width of said panel, a second flap formed as an extensionof the side opposite said one side of the same length as said panelcomprising a portion of half the width of said panel and provided withan adhesive area to overlie the edge of said first flap when folded, andhaving a support forming portion extending from said adhesive area,

said support forming portion being of a width substantially the same ashalf the width of said panel, and extending a substantial length alongsaid adhesive area, a narrow flap along a third side of said panel, saidnarrow flap being provided with an adhesive area only on that portionthat is adjacent said second flap and of an extent of only half of thewidth of said panel.

7. A display envelope for a photograph or the like 1 formed from a blankhaving a windowed front panel, a

first'back wall panel folded behind said front panel and seperated fromsaid front panel by a foldline, a second back wall panel folded behindsaid front panel and separated from said front panel by a fold line,said second back wall panel comprising a portion complementary to saidfirst back wall panel adhesively secured to the edge of said first backwall panel and having an extension adapted to form a support for saidenvelope, said extension normally lying in the plane of said second backwall panel, and a bottom flap folded upwardly and behind said first andsecond back wall panels and overlying a portion of said extension, saidbottom flap being secured only to said second back wall panel whereby itreleasably holds said extension in its normal position in the plane ofsaid back wall panel.

8; An envelope for photographs comprising a front portion having anenlarged viewing window therein and a back portion, said back portioncomprising a rectangular first flap formed as a folded back extension ofone side of saidfront portion and of an extent slightly more than halfthe width of said front portion to form a portion of the back of theenvelope, a second flap formed as a folded back extension of the otherside of said front portion, said second flap comprising a portioncomplementary to said first flap to form theremainder of said back ofthe envelope and overlapping said first flap by the amount that saidfirst flap exceeds half the width of said front portion, and secured tosaid first flap along its edge and having a further portion extendingfrom the edge of said portion complementary to said first portion toprovide a support for said envelope in display position, said furtherportion normally lying against said first fiap, a bottom flap formed asa folded back extension of the bottom of said front portion, overlyingsaid second flap and adhesively secured only to said portionscomplementary to said first flap whereby said further portion liesbetween said first flap and said bottom flap, a notch in said furtherportion adjacent said complementary portion.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,280,775 Liebs Oct. s, 1918 1,839,814 Taylor Jan. 5, 1932

